to ask for your help with choosing a school?

[hibbledibble]

I'm gutted that I didn't get the school I wanted. I'm now looking at other schools, something I didn't out much thought in before as I thought we would get a place in our first choice. I've viewed 3 options and have to make a decision quickly before the deadline (30 April!). Dd is awaiting assessment regarding SEN.

School A is local, around a 10 minute walk. It has has had a rather difficult history but I believe it is improving. It has a very deprived intake, with lots of temporary accommodation nearby. Very high FSM and EFL. The facilities are quite shabby, but should be redeveloped this summer. Very big classrooms and playground. Good SEN provision. I like that with a local school dd would have local friends etc. The school had a warm feel. Good value added.

School B is very big and felt rather impersonal on viewing it. It has a huge site but is 2/3 form entry, which I feel is a bit big for a primary school. However it has excellent facilities and value added scores, as well as excellent SEN provision. It is around 1 mile away. High EFL and FSM but not as high as school A.

School C is around a 30 minute drive. I loved the feel of the school. It is single form entry with a good community. Good facilities in some aspects, but poor in others. The school site is quite small but it has a good reception playground. The achievement is extremely high, but this is partially a reflection of the intake, with comparatively low FSM and EFL. I think their SEN provision is likely to be the least strong of the 3 schools however.

All 3 schools had excellent behaved pupils, and I think all are good schools. I'm really struggling to decide which one.

DD is at a 3 form entry primary school (been 3 form for the last year) and it doesn't feel big due to the layout of the school building. Each 'college' is located in a spoke of a wheel, so you don't really see the whole school, just the six classes in that spoke and DD will stay in that college the whole of her time there. Of course, they also benefit from a huge building with lots of resources, they have specialist PE, MFL and music teachers too. They also stream for some subjects across the three classes, which is probably easier to target with more children.

We live in a real mix of an area and there are lots of EFL and FSM pupils at DD's school, however DD is thriving. The school actually encourages FSM registration as they get money from the Government (even if the parents don't want the children having FSMs), they just really encourage eligible parents to register. So their FSM numbers are high on paper. It is a 10min walk from our house but isn't our catchment school. I'm able to get quite involved as it's so close and DD and I walk there and back.

We went on what I felt from speaking to staff at the school (we couldn't visit before requesting a place as we were moving from quite a distance away). The staff seemed friendly on the phone, very helpful and always called back when they said they would. I just got a really good vibe from the school and haven't been disappointed. Lots of a good school hinges on staff and also the admin team. Nothing worse than a disorganised school office!!

On DD's first day, the teacher responsible for new starters was brilliant, spoke to DD all about what to expect and took us both along to her classroom to meet her teacher. She also singled me out at pick up to let me know how things had been. I just felt they were really lovely and caring with DD and I'd take that above most things.

DD previously went to a very good middle-class 2-form entry school and I was quite disappointed with it. They ticked all the OFSTED boxes but there wasn't much love/soul there. They were rubbish at communicating with parents and relied on reception age children to pass on verbal messages about quite important information rather than put a letter in book bags.

Sorry that was massive.